A SkyWest passenger jet on Friday aborted its landing to avoid hitting a B-52 aircraft in North Dakota, the airline stated on Sunday.
"We took a really hard right turn, we were completely sideways," Monica Green, a passenger on the Delta-operated flight, told the BBC. "I was facing the grass."
"We had no idea what was going on; we didn't know if there was anything wrong with the plane or if the sharp turns would continue."
After landing his plane safely, the pilot informed the passengers that he had acted to avoid the aircraft, which he said was "kind of, sort of coming at us... So, sorry about the aggressive maneuver," according to a recording Green shared.
The pilot explained that while the control tower had cleared their plane to land, he turned left and "saw the airplane that was kind of coming on a converging course with us," explaining that he made the choice to turn behind it to avoid a collision.
"Long story short, it was not fun, but I do apologize for it - and thank you for understanding," he said, as passengers responded with applause.
FAA, Air Force will open investigations into the incident
The Federal Aviation Administration has announced that it will investigate the incident.
"We are aware of the recent reporting regarding commercial and Air Force aircraft operating in airspace around Minot International Airport. We are currently looking into the matter. We can confirm that a B-52 aircraft assigned to Minot AFB conducted a flyover of the North Dakota State Fair Friday evening," an Air Force spokesperson told ABC News.
While the civilian airport in Minot does not have radar, operating under visual flight rules only, the Minot Air Force Base does, though the base itself did not respond to requests for comment.